India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2026 & Key MCQs

Forest Survey of India, headquartered in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, conducts biennial satellite-based national forest assessments since 1987.

The first assessment was published in 1987 using Landsat satellite data; the report is published once every two years (biennial).

The National Forest Policy, 1988 set the national goal of maintaining 33% of India's total land area under forest or tree cover (and 66% in mountainous and hill regions).

Very Dense Forest represents pristine, highly closed forest canopy cover of 70% or more, critical for biodiversity and catchment hydrology.

Moderately Dense Forest covers land with tree canopy density ranging from 40% to 70%.

Open Forest consists of forest lands where tree canopy cover is between 10% and 40%.

Degraded forest lands with canopy cover below 10% are classified as Scrub and excluded from the net forest cover tally.

Madhya Pradesh consistently has the largest area-wise forest cover in the country, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Mizoram leads all Indian states with over 84.5% of its total land area under forest cover, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Lakshadweep registers over 90% forest cover due to dense coconut groves, while Andaman & Nicobar features roughly 82% tropical rainforest cover.

West Bengal holds the largest mangrove cover in the world's largest deltaic mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, followed by Gujarat.

Gujarat's arid and marine mangroves cover over 1,175 sq km, anchoring coastal mudflats in the Gulf of Kutch.

Forest carbon stock comprises five pools: above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, dead wood, litter, and soil organic carbon (SOC).

Soil Organic Carbon stored in the top 30 cm of forest soil constitutes the largest carbon reservoir in forest ecosystems.

Forest Cover comprises patches of 1 hectare or more with canopy >= 10%; Tree Cover measures isolated trees, roadside avenues, and canal banks under 1 hectare.

Forest cover represents roughly 21.7% and tree cover represents roughly 2.9%, combining to approximately 24.62% of India's landmass.

TOF contributes over 38% of India's total timber output and forms a crucial expansion area for carbon sequestration.

LISS-III sensor data allows precise wall-to-wall mapping of forest canopy boundaries down to 1-hectare minimum mapping units.

The 42nd Amendment placed forests under Entry 17A of the Concurrent List, empowering Parliament to enact uniform national conservation laws.

Inserted by the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976, Article 48A places a constitutional duty on the State to protect forests and ecology.

Article 51A(g) states that it shall be the duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment and have compassion for living creatures.

The Act brought all diversion of forest land under strict central scrutiny, slashing the rate of annual forest loss drastically.

CAMPA oversees over ₹50,000 crore in funds disbursed to state forest departments for compensatory afforestation and wildlife corridor protection.

FSI utilizes NASA MODIS and SNPP-VIIRS satellite thermal sensor feeds to detect active forest fires, sending automated SMS alerts to forest rangers within minutes.

Madhya Pradesh possesses the largest total bamboo-bearing area, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha.

The 2017 amendment reclassified bamboo grown outside forests as a grass, freeing farmers from felling and transit permit regulations to boost the bamboo economy.

The Forest Rights Act recognizes individual and community forest rights (CFR), granting gram sabhas ownership over non-timber forest produce.

Forest soils hold over half of India's total forest carbon, with Himalayan moist temperate forests showing the highest SOC densities.

Sacred groves represent traditional community conservation, preserving virgin gene pools of rare medicinal plants across India.

At the UNCCD COP14 in New Delhi in 2019, India raised its restoration target from 21 million to 26 million hectares, creating additional carbon sinks.